Aeroplane



I. A. ALLARDYCE.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 8| |920. 1,383,509, Patented July 5, 1921` I" i@ Q UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. ALLARDYCE, 0F MINNEAPOLIS, :mrINlmsora AEROPLAN E.

To aZZ whom'z't may concern l Be it known that I, JAMES A. ALLARDYCE,

a citizen of theUnited States, residing at\ Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota,- have invented certain new and` useful Improvements vin Aeroplanes; and Ido .hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such aswill'enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to iiyingmachines p of the type known as aeroplanes, and has for its object to increase the stability thereof and to make it practically impossible to capsize the same. Otherwise stated, the invention has for its object particularly to make aeroplanes safer for ordinary travel, either for pleasure or commercial purposes, but does not attempt to provide an aeroplane capable of use for trick purposes, fancy flying or speed.

The salient feature of the invention consists in using a gas tank formed with air stream lines, or of the general form cornmonly designated as cigar shape, in plac ing the gas tank above the center of gravity of the aeroplane and extending the same parallel to the fuselage. It is not intended that this gas tank should be of such size as to carry the entire weight of the aeroplane, but it will assist in supporting the said weight in the air and afford a partial support from which the greater part of the weight of the aeroplane is suspended in such a manner that it would be impossible, or at least very difficult, under any circumstances, to capsize the aeroplane.

The gas tank should be provided with'a plurality of gas-tight compartments preferably spacedlongitudinally thereof. This gas tank, of course, increases the buoyancy of the aeroplane so that it will more quickly rise under the advance movement of the plane and may be caused to alight with a less shock when the plane is moving very slowly in landing.

To the above end, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in 4the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several viewsr V Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 5, 1921.

Application led March 8, 1920. Serial No. 364,143.

Figure l is a plan view of an aeroplane having the invention incorporated therein' ig. 2 1 s a front elevation of the saine; Fig. 3 is a right side elevation; and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section taken centrally through the gas tank. 'I he invention, as shown in the drawings 1S incorporated in a flying machine of the bipla'ne type, and of the parts thereof, it is important to note the fuselage 5 and planes 6. Said invention comprises a gas tank 47 made :of balloon fabric, or other suitable material, and has stream air lines which closely follow the gene-ral shape of the fuselage 5. The gas tank 7 is located above the center of gravity ofthe aeroplane, and as Shown, is placed between the planes 6 above the fuselfge 5 and substantially parallel thereto. ables 8 are provided for anchoring thegas tank 7 to the fusela e 5. 1

By reference to F ig. 4, it wil be noted that the gas tank 7 is provided with a plurality of transverse partitions 9, which divide the gas tank into a mutiplicity of longitudinally spaced compartments 10, eachof which is provided with a valve 1l towhich may b e attached a gas-charging tube.

ile the invention is shown as incorporated in a machineY of the biplane-type, it is, of course, understood that the same may be used on various different types of inachines, and in some instances, it might be desirable to use more than one gas tank.

While this invention is especially directed to an aeroplane in which the gas tank will carry only part of the weight of the machine, nevertheless, within the broad scope of this invention, it might be increased in size so as carry the entire weight of the machine and one or more passengers. In fact, I believ'e it is broadly new in my invention to connect the gas tank, the fuselage and supporting planes rigidly or in such a manner that they all move together or as a single unit.

What I claimis:

1 The combination with a biplane of the ordinary type comprising a fuselage and planes, of a cigar shaped tank containing a buoyant gas, said tank having pointed ends and having its longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage, said tank being disposed immediately under the top plane and being secured ill position tol said plane and fuselage and bethe longitudinal axis of the fuselage, and

ing of a'length substantially the same as the being disposed immediately under the to fuse1a e, v plane, means for firmly securing said tan 2. 'lghe combination with a biplane comto the plane and fuselage, said tank having 5 prising the usual fuselage, and planes, of an a vdiameter not greater than the maximum 15 4 elongated cigar-shaped tank having trans- Width of the fuselage and being of subverse portions formlng separate vchambers stantially the same length as said fuselage. therein, all of which are inflated with a In testimony whereof I affix my signature. buoyant gas, said tank having pointed ends 10 and having its longitudinal axis parallel to JAMES' A. ALLARDYCE. 

